upham



2 Sheets-Sheet', l. F. P. UPHAM, G. A. SAUNBERSU H. 'A'. SHBLDON.

Patented June 6, 1882.

Fig. I.

n [n1/enters MW.

' A 2 sheets-sheen 2. T'. P. UP'HAM; G. A. SAUNDBRS 8v HvA] .SHEIDON 4 i CLOTH STRETGHING MAGHINB. No. 258,947. Patented June 6; .1882.

l MMM!!! fw@ la/fw;

N. FEYERS, Fhm-Lnhagmpmr, wamingtnn, llc,

UNITEDn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK P. UPHAM, GEORGE A. sAUNDERs, AND RENRYA. vsEELDON, OE PAWTUCKET, AssIGNORs OE ONE-HALE To JOHN E. GOLDswORTHY, OE

CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.

CLOTH-STRi-:Toi-HNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .Patent No. 258,947, dated June 6, 1882.

.i Application filed January 6, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK RUPHAM, GEORGE A. SAUNDERs, and HENRY A. SHEL- DON, all of the town of Pawtucket, county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Stretching Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form 1o part of-this specification, is a description of our invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

Our invention relates to cylindrical clothl stretching machines which increase the width i5 of the cloth as it passes over the surface ot' a revolving cylinder, with which the machine is provided. v y

The invention consists mainly in the novel combination ofthe cam-disk and guide-wheel zo used to operate the stretcher-blocks and the jointed arm employed to hold them in proper position, in the mechanism for regulating the stretch While the machineis at rest or in opJ eration, and in the combination for oiling the can1disks and guide-wheels.

In the drawings, Figure 1 representsa plan of our machine, partly in section. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the cylinder-head, showing also the adjustable bar over which the cloth passes,

3o the stanchion, and the devices .for adjusting the said bar. Fig. 3 is a plan of the jointed arm that connects the cam-disk and the disk in the cylinder-head. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the jointed arm.l Fig. 5 represents the join ted arm attached to the central shaftinstead of tol the cylinderdisk. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the cam-disk and guide-wheel, with portions of the same broken away to show the reservoir in the cam-disk and the perforations 4o through which the oil is supplied to the bearings of the said disk and guidewheel. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the guide-wheel and cam-disk, also showing the lug connecting the guidewheel and stretcher-blocks and the manner of linking the latterV together. Fig. 8 is a top View of one of the stretcher-blocks. Fig. 9 is anend view ofthe machine, showing the hand-wheel, gear, and worm-gear for operating the adj ustin g-rod.

The surface ofthe cylinder with which the machine is provided is made'up of a number of parallelrowsoi'stretcher-blodks, which have serrated surfaces for gripping the cloth while in contact with the cylinders. These blocks are linked together, and move simultaneously in two longitudinal series from the center of the row toward each end ot' the cylinder ,durf ing the stretching process, then backw'ard'to the center as they successively leave the cloth. Thus during one-half the revolution ofthe cylindereach row of stretcher-blocks performs a stretching service, and successively repeats this service in every revolution. The devices employed to operate the several rows of stretcher-blocks are chambered guide-wheels, each of which is secured to and rotates on a cam-disk that is fitted to the chamber in the guide-wheel and secured to thekcentral shaft of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the central shaft, A, is supported at each end by stanchion or otherwise, and is stationary. Attached to the central shaft at 'each end ot' the machine between the points of supportare disks K, Fig.l, which are incased by the cap finside and the cylinder-head H outside. Also attached to the central shaft wit-hin the cylinder are the devices for actuating the stretcherblocks C, set opposite each other near the ends ofthecylinder.'Theyoccupy convergingplanes,

which intersect diagonally the longitudinalA axis of the central shaft. These actuating devices are each composed of two parts-thestationary cam-disk B', which is secured to hubs c, Fig. 7, opposite each other on the sleeve F 'of the shaft A, and the guide-wheel B, which rotates around the cam-disk B' and governs the movement ofthe stretcher-blocks U. The periphery of the guide-wheels is i'urrowed out to receive the lug av, secured to the end block of each row of stretcher-blocks. The guidewheels are made in two sections, and are hollow to receive the cam-disk, and whenfastened togethercolnpletelyincase the same. The camdisk is chambered out to serve as a reservoir for oil or other lubricant used about it and the guide-wheel. Perforations q, Fig. 6,through the shellof said disk, supply the oil in sufficient quantities from the reservoir R. The pipe p,

Fig. 7, serves to conduct the oil into the reservoir. By these contrivances the oil is all utilized, none escapes to injure the fabric that 5 passes over the cylinder, and the frequent oiling of these parts is thereby avoided. Ears c, Fig. 7, project from each of the cam-disks, and are employed to secure the said disks to the sleeves F, the said sleeves at the point of contact being provided with hubs fu, to which the ears e are secured by bolts or screws s, with sufficient intervening space to allow a little freedom on the bolts or screws to accommodate a limited swinging movement ofthe cam-disk thereon. The sleeves F are splined tothe central shaft, A, for the purpose ot giving the camdisk and guide-wheel firm support wllile the machine is in operation. A limited sliding motion, however, may be imparted to them through the adjusting-rod E, hereinafter de scribed.

Angular stands or arms t' and j, Fig. l, are secured to the cam-disks, and similar arms, lz and 7.', are secured to the disks K. These arms are connected in pairs-h with 'i and k with j by links or bars l. rlhe arms andlinks together form a jointed arm or toggle-joint, which is peculiarly adapted to the alternating motion of the said disks and guide-wheels made necessary by changes in their relative positions, as when a change is required in the stretch or spread to be imparted tothe cloth, the joints L in the said arms are the fulcrum-pivots on which the cam-disks and guide-wheels are deiected to increase or decrease the spread of ot' the stretcher-blocks. Their position in the machine is between the guide-wheels and the disks Kin the cylinder-heads, closelyapproaching the guide-wheels, and substantially at the end ofaradius thereof. The lugs x, which connect each series of stretcherblocks to the guide-wheels, will occupy substantially the same plane (parallel to the aXisof the cylinder) as the joints L when they are brought opposite thereto bythe revolution ofthe cylinder, provided the said joints are in proper position. This is practically the starting-place for the blocks C, for here the said blocks are drawn together, and the central longitudinal line thereof in that position will lie in the same plane as that passing through theline of nearest approach ofthe cam-disks and guide-wheels, respectively. Precision should be observed in locatingthejoints L, in order that the stretcherblocks C be brought around to and start from the same point, whatever be the angle of the cams and guide-wheels.

The arms h and k, usually attached to the disks at the cylinder-heads, may be fastened to the central shaft, like t, Fig. 5. We prefer, however, to secure them to the disks K, as shown at h and 7.', Fig. l. The guide-wheels ordinarily used in machines of this class may be readily adapted to our machine.

In our machine the general construction of y the exterior of the cylinder, which consists of longitudinal rows of stretcher-blocks,'tl1e manner of linking such blocks together, the parallel rods extending lengthwise to connectboth heads of the cylinder, and upon which the stretcher-blocks travel while the machineisin operation, and the circular rests or cylinderheads are essentially the same as in all machines of this class. The surface ot' themachine is made up of rows ot' serrated'blocks or lags C, which are supported by parallel rods a, connecting the heads of the cylinder. An end view ot' one of such blocks is shown at C, Fig. G, and a view ot' two rows is shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. l one of these rows is extended at full spread and the other row is shown with all the blocks in close contact with each other. In a completed machine the entire circumference of the cylinder is covered with similar blocks, which have grooves n, Fig. 6, adapted to the parallel rods a, Figs. 1 and 6,011 which they are moved by the cams and guide-wheels. One-half of said stretcher-blocks, taken from a line through the short diameter centrally of the machine, are under the control ot one cam and guide-wheel, and the balance are under the control of the other cam and guide-wheel. To the outermost block ot' each row is attached a ball or lug, x, Figs. l and 7, extending inwardly therefrom, which lits loosely in the pocket or chamber in the grooved periphery ofthe guide-wheel B. The stretcher-blocks C are linked together by links y, Figs. 7 and S, so that motion imparted through the rotation of the guide-wheels to the outsidelagor stretcherblock will be communicated to the adjoining block and thence to thenext, and so on through the whole series. Themachine is adjusted so that the line of divergence of the stretcherblocks begins near the point where the cloth tirst comes in contact with the machine, and the divergence thereof increases up to a point alittle beyond where the cloth leavesit, which is usually one-half the revolution. From this point during the remainder of the revolution the stretcher-blocks converge. In Fig. l the upper row of stretcher-blocks is shown at the maximum stretch and the lower row at the point of nearest approach. It will be seen that the sum ot' the lengths of the several blocks that make the row is considerably less than the length of the cylinder; but the guidewheels may be so detlected with the cam-disks as to spread each row successively to embrace the whole space between the cylinder-heads.

The angle ofdivergence of the guide-wheels may be varied at pleasure while the machine is in operation, so as to et'tcct any given stretch within the capacity of the machine. rlhis is accomplished through the adj usting-rod E, extending from end to end ot' the cylinder parallel with the central shaft, provided With worm and gear d c, Fig. 9, the gear-wheel being secured to one end ofthe said rod E, which projects through the cylinder-head. The adjustin g-rod is provided with two screw-threads inside the cylinder-heads-the one a right and ICO IIO

IZO

the other aleft'hand screw-and these screwsare adapted to and work in corresponding female screws in the projections g'of the sleeves in place.

F. Threaded bushings of superior metal may be inserted in the said projections and fastened therein by set-screws o, should the screwthreads in the said projections prove inadequate. A hub on the rod E, inside the cylinder-head, with the hub attached to the gearwheel outside, holds the adj usting-rod securely To. increase or decrease the stretch or spread upon the cloth, turn the hand-wheel m to the right or left, which, communicating motion to the gear c through the worm d, which is secured to the opposite end ofthe hand-wheel shaft a, Fig. 9, causes the rod E, Fig. 1, toact on the sleeves F and impart a sliding motion to them on the central shaft. guide-wheels being secured to the sleeves F, and also fastened to the jointed arms, as-hereinbefore described, the sliding motion thus imparted will cause the line of deflection of the guide-wheels to be changed, the joints L of the jointed arms being the fulcra or pivotal points on which the cam-disks and guide-wheels vibrate when these changes are desired. It will be observed that the change being eifected through the rod E, communicating with both guide-wheels through the cam-disks, the series of serrated blocks under the control of each guide-wheel will be affected alike-that is, if one series be given more spread the other series'will be spread at the same Vtime and to the same extent, and it' one series be contracted so will the other series oi" blocks be correspondingly changed; and herein a precision 'is attained by this method of adjustment that would be impossible in the ordinary \vaynamely,by the eye orjudgment of the operator. rEheimportance ot' this method of adjustment will be better appreciated when it is understood that a-deflection ot' one of the guide-wheels more than the other causes a greater spread of the stretcher-blocks under its cdntrol than those under the control ofits fellowr guide-wheel, the eifect'of which would be to cause the cloth to run zigzag over the cylinder to spread it more on one sidethan the other, andv to render it puckered and corrugated.

In our improved method of adjustment we can vary the stretch at pleasure while the machine is running at full speed, and both guidewheels being changed in their angle ot' divergence simultaneously a simultaneous change proportioned to such variation is produced in both series of stretcher-blocks without dela-ying the work to make the change. f

We are aware that pre-existing machines of this general character maybefound on reference The cam-disks and to United States Letters Patent No. 101,811, of 1870, and No. 14,659, of 1856English Letters Patent No. 1,317 of 1865, No. 7,655, old law, and N o. 509 of 1854.

We do not claim the stretcher-blocks C, the manner ot linking them together, nor the parallel rods a, connecting the cylinder-heads on which the stretcher-blocks are moved by the cams and guide-wheels; but

What we claim in cloth-spreading machines as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1'. In combination, substantially as specified, the adjustable cam-disks and guide-wheels, devices for adjustment, substantially as described, and the fixed fulcra for said disks, 1ocated substantially at the end of a radius of the guide-wheels.

2. The combination of the cylinder provided with parallel rods, the series of linked stretcherblocks, the guide-wheels, the cam-disks chambered out to servc as reservoirs for oil, fixed fulcra for said disks situated near their peripheries, and means of adjustment, substantially as described.

3. In combination, substantially as specified, the adj ustable cam-disks and guide-wheels, the central shal't, the sleeves splined thereto, and the right and left hand screw-threaded rod for simultaneously changing said cam-disks and guide-wheels. l

4. The combination, substantially-as specilied, ot' the cylinder provided with parallel rods, the series of linked stretcher-blocks, the adjustable cam-disks, and the guide-wheels v,having ixed fulcra near their peripherics.

5. The combination of the adjustable camdisk and guidewheel,the cylinder-head, the jointed arm, one end of which is tixed to the said cylinder-head and the other end to the said cam-disk, andl suitable means of adjustment, substantially as specitied.

6. The combination, substantially as specitied, ot' the adjustable cam-disks and guidewheels, sleeves'splined to the central shaft and having projections provided with female screws, and the adjusting-rod provided with a right and left hand screw adapted to the fcmale screws in said projections to simultaneously adjust the cam-disks and guide-wheels to their proper planes of divergence while the machine is at rest or in motion.

' FREDK. P. UPHAM.

GEORGE A. SAUNDERS. HENRY A. SHELDON. Witnesses:

ALBEN W. SIBLEY, CHAs. I. DAVIS, JOHN M. TAYLOR.

IOC

IIO 

